Tribeca Continues Continuing its Sales Dominance

[rao]

I apologize for the delay in posting this , but by popular demand, here you go:

 

http://media.subaru.com/index.php?s=43&item=160

 

 

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/6674/captureyk.jpg

 

As you can see 243 people couldn't resist the siren song of the Tribeca last month.

 

It also looks like the party is over for the Impreza The Legacy and Outback continue to be the best cars ever made or to be made and the Forester is just sort of there.

[dga]

I wonder how much marketing has to do with this. Since Tribeca is advertised as much as the '05-'09 Legacy and I live in a large Subaru market.

[Max Capacity]

I guess it's true, beauty is in the the eye's of the beholder.

 

My eye's will never see the beauty of the new Legacy's.

 

But then again, there are many new cars I lust after. IMO there's a whole lot of ugly out there.

[IwannaSportSedan]

I guess it's true, beauty is in the the eye's of the beholder.

 

My eye's will never see the beauty of the new Legacy's.

 

But then again, there are many new cars I lust after. IMO there's a whole lot of ugly out there.

 

Agreed, except one thing.

 

There are fewer and fewer new cars I lust after... and the ugly out there seems to be getting more prolific.

[sactojesse]

A staggering 69% of Subaru sales for March 2010 were CUVs. Surely some of those Forester/Outback/Tribeca buyers would have purchased a Legacy Touring Wagon instead, had SOA offered one. Either that or Americans really do suck ass as much as I fear.

[IwannaSportSedan]

CAFE favors light trucks. Government doing what government does best... getting in the way.

 

Subaru wants to meet CAFE and avoid fines. Subaru doing what most car companies do in this situation... capitulate and CYA under the government regs.

 

CUVs and SUVs have been pushed for 15 years, and are now established as popular, and as a better vehicle value, practicality for the dollar.

 

The american consumer that can see a sale price from a mile away, sees "popular + better value + practicality = Buy it." The people do what they have been trained to do by decades of consumerist training.

 

And then SUVs and CUVs are vilified for it. Almost victims of their own success. People who drive CUVs and SUVs are vilified, as well, for being the efficient but not entirely thoughtful consumers that they have been trained to be.

 

If it didn't cost so much to federalize every little minute change, and CAFE were tossed in the dustbin, where it belongs. and the market were able to dictate by demand... the market would be a lot more free for those of us who know what we want, and the mainstream lemmings would have more choices to choose from.

 

The system eats itself. And those who think for themselves, and know what they want, and step outside of the system... are left with fewer and fewer options as the system becomes more insular and continues to feed only on itself.

[SLegacy99]

Tribeca is just too damn expensive for an ugly SUV.

[pillboy]

Tribeca is just too damn ugly for an expensive SUV.

[svxy]

Talking to my saleman and he tells me that Subaru dealers are selling Tribecas as fast as they hit the lot across the country. They are hard to get and dealers do not trade them to other dealers once they have one. He said Subaru has slowed the production of the Tribeca because the engines are going into the red hot Legacy sales. So if he is correct, the numbers can be skewed for any purpose any one wants to use them for.

[SLegacy99]

Seems odd because I have yet to see even one Legacy 3.6R.

[Hanger]

i'm trying to get my co-worker to pick up the new Tribeca...

[legandrex]

Here we go again.

[stanjk3]

Seems odd because I have yet to see even one Legacy 3.6R.

 

They're too ugly to look at for me to even bother to try and notice them.

3.0R Legacys are rare.

[SubieDriver]

I'm thinking the 3.6R and GT are rare because SIA is scrambling to meet demand for the base Legacy and Outback.

 

That philosophy seems odd to me though - I would think they'd want to produce more of the 3.6R and GT, and when people come in to buy a 2.5i just tell them, "We just sold our last 2.5i, but we have a beautiful 3.6R/GT here for you."

[WildBoxer]

A staggering 69% of Subaru sales for March 2010 were CUVs. Surely some of those Forester/Outback/Tribeca buyers would have purchased a Legacy Touring Wagon instead, had SOA offered one. Either that or Americans really do suck ass as much as I fear.

 

 

I love my Legacy, but I'm not getting a good feeling about the direction SOA is taking lately. Whether this is the fault of idiotic American consumers, government interference, or marketing decisions made by SOA doesn't really matter to me. I still can't buy what I want anymore.

 

It's gotten progressively worse for me, considering the options I consider for a vehicle. I would like a wagon with a M/T, and I prefer sporty performance over off-road capability - although I can appreciate both, since my last car was a 2001 Outback. AWD is really nice to have, but not 100% necessary for me. I also wouldn't find having a diesel.

 

The Legacy lineup in the U.S. has continued to disappoint me over the last few years:

 

2005: Legacy 2.5i/GT available in sedan/wagon form with an Auto or M/T. (This marks the last year I had a choice to get whatever I wanted.)

2006: LGT M/T Wagon dropped

2007: ALL M/T Wagons dropped except 2.5i base model

2007: Boxer Diesel revealed

2008: 3.0R finally added to NA Legacy lineup, but no wagon, and no M/T

2008: Legacy Wagon is dropped frm the NA lineup...WTF?

2008: Boxer Diesel goes into production for European market

2009: Toyota increases its shares in FHI

2009: News of a possible Subaru Hybrid surface

2010: Still waiting for the Boxer Diesel in the U.S.

 

Considering the staggering amount of Forester/Outback/Tribeca sales, I agree with sactojesse: the Legacy Touring Wagon would have continued to be successful.

 

It's sad when we can't get a Legacy wagon in the U.S., but we can get this:

 

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/honda-accord-euro-2009-620op.jpg

 

Isn't Subaru pretty much the only company aside from Volvo that never lost faith in wagons in the states, even if it was a niche market?

 

If SOA would bring the Touring Wagon back to the states, I'd be the first in line to order one, provided that it is option friendly like it once was in 2005.

 

If you're reading this, SOA, this is not only my opinion but that of many Americans who can still think for ourselves.

 

I'll be shopping for a new car in 2 years. This will be my first NEW car. I'll be looking for:

 

- A wagon

- A manual transmission

- Nice interior, including leather and a sunroof

- A diesel engine

- AWD would be a definite bonus

 

I love my Legacy, but I'm not getting a good feeling about the direction Subaru is taking lately. As a former VW guy, if we don't start getting more choices soon, I will be ordering a Jetta or Passat TDI Wagon.

 

I regret having to say that, because I think Subarus are wonderful cars. If I wind up buying a VW again, I will miss my boxer engine and I will most likely go without AWD.

 

That being said, I'm really left wondering how little of an influence Toyota is having on Subaru. The day I see a Legacy Hybrid come to this market instead of a Legacy Boxer Diesel, I will have my answer. I shutter at the thought of seeing a wonderful car like the Legacy turn into a glorified Camry - it deserves MUCH better than that.

[MikeNH]

They probably see a Legacy wagon as redundant to the Outback. And to most buyers, it probably would be. I'd prefer to have a Legacy wagon over the OB if I were in the market for a wagon, especially in GT trim as I like "sleeper" cars. Good luck with your wish list, it'd be nice to see those offerings (though I'd probably pass on the diesel for a turbo gas engine as all the diesel would be is a MPG-getter) but sadly it won't happen with what you'd want. Right now you can get an OB with everything there except the engine, but the OB isn't a touring wagon by any means.

[WildBoxer]

They probably see a Legacy wagon as redundant to the Outback. And to most buyers, it probably would be. I'd prefer to have a Legacy wagon over the OB if I were in the market for a wagon, especially in GT trim as I like "sleeper" cars. Good luck with your wish list, it'd be nice to see those offerings (though I'd probably pass on the diesel for a turbo gas engine as all the diesel would be is a MPG-getter) but sadly it won't happen with what you'd want. Right now you can get an OB with everything there except the engine, but the OB isn't a touring wagon by any means.

 

Unfortunately, you are probably right. Although, being a former VW guy, I somewhat disagree that the diesel would only be a MPG-getter. In stock form at least, you may be right. If you ever witnessed my Passat TDI 4Motion Wagon launch from a dead stop, you might change your mind.. That car had "launch squat" that rivaled a twin-turbo Golf R32.

 

I miss that car!!

 

If I get another diesel, I will be modding the crap out of it. I like being different - these days, I'm not interested in modding a turbocharged car unless it lacks spark plugs.

 

There's WAY to many 16-25 year old WRX / STI drivers in my area to interest me in even modding an LGT. I bought a 2.5i Limited Wagon in order to take a break from modding my cars. The upside is that I've got a decent amount of $$ saved.

 

Maybe I'll build another B5.5 TDI...

 

Sorry, totally off-topic, I think I just unleashed the monster!!

[MikeNH]

My car is different- the only other 2010 LGT I've seen so far was last week when I was in Ann Arbor, MI on a business trip, so they do seem fairly rare.

I would also wonder how much is out there for a relatively unestablished diesel like the Subaru engine. I mean VW has had their diesels for ages in the US and Subaru only recently came out with their (first?) diesel and it's not sold here. Though I suppose the whole "if you build it, they will come" deal applies to that. I would love to see a hot-rodded diesel wagon lay the smackdown on a more conventional sporty car, it's funny to see the reactions-

 

I was at a dragstrip here in NH a few years ago on a street night and in front of me was this lifted Ford F-250 diesel on 35" mud tires next to an Integra driven by a chick that seemed to model her wardrobe after the scary looking gal in the first Fast and the Furious movie. While we were waiting to start she was just going on and on about how it was "such a waste to be stuck next to this hillbilly and his truck, I'll be back at the waiting area before he crosses the finish line", etc. The dude with the pickup wouldn't say a word. When it was their turn he launched in 4WD with a quick chirp of the tires and was just gone. Low 14 second ET. Absolutely smoked the gal in the Acura, who never lined back up.

[hadvw]

I was at a dragstrip here in NH a few years ago on a street night and in front of me was this lifted Ford F-250 diesel on 35" mud tires next to an Integra driven by a chick that seemed to model her wardrobe after the scary looking gal in the first Fast and the Furious movie. While we were waiting to start she was just going on and on about how it was "such a waste to be stuck next to this hillbilly and his truck, I'll be back at the waiting area before he crosses the finish line", etc. The dude with the pickup wouldn't say a word. When it was their turn he launched in 4WD with a quick chirp of the tires and was just gone. Low 14 second ET. Absolutely smoked the gal in the Acura, who never lined back up.

 

Yeah, but.. We want to ENCOURAGE chicks to go to the drag strip, not embarrass them..